What Was Learned
by wee-me
Summary: An outsider's take on the class and their possible future. A somewhat cautionary tale.


**What Was Learned**

Authoress: Wee-Me

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own anything from Magic School Bus or any of the fairytales I reference. They're somebody else's creation (Cole & Degan for MSB, according to my research); I just wrote this story about them. No harm, no foul, no lawsuits. 

Begin

Most fairytales teach the lesson of not trusting strangers, especially magical strangers. Even the strangers that try to help can often ruin lives. They teach that talking animals, above all wolves, should be carefully watched. In their world it goes without saying that witches in cookie houses are up to no good, in fact all witches are probably up to something. It goes on and on. Wicked fairies will curse you, tiny men will try to take your first born, you can get locked in a tower all your life for your parents' mistakes, and even worse. And in places like Hamelin you can get lured away by a magical stranger and go laughing off never to be seen again.

This town is no Hamelin, but it isn't so far from it in its history. Once upon a time at the local elementary school there was a teacher name Ms. Frizzle who was much loved by all. The funny thing about this teacher was that it was as if she appeared out of nowhere and just wandered in to teach. It was often remarked that she'd appeared "almost like magic" just when the old teacher had suddenly decided to leave and the school was fortunate to have her. Her small class loved her greatly and trusted her without question, even if fieldtrips weren't their cup of tea. The kids, her strangely small class, would go home daily telling their parents about the wonderful things they'd learned and the mysterious, marvelous trips they'd taken.

"The Friz" was patient in her planning and lulled the parents' alarm over the stories with a nearly mystical ability to ease them with her chats. It was only a matter of waiting, just timing. The good lady could not and did not rush things. She spent ages teaching the children, happy to be close to them, and letting everyone get used to the children going on trips with her. The class really was learning quite a lot, their test scores and records show them to have been ahead of their grade group. Both class and teacher were often recognized with awards and her unique methods were praised. The parents became used to seeing their children very rarely and the children came to feel more at home on the bus than with their families. Anyone who questioned the situation, particularly to the teacher herself, found themselves charmed by her and their misgivings vanished.

One day the bus just didn't return. A search wasn't even begun until they were a week overdue, a full three weeks after they'd packed off that last time for parts unknown. Then it was as if a spell broke and the town started asking questions. What sort of teacher has her own bus? Why were there no records of Ms. Frizzle in any database? Who had hired her since no one could recall? And could anyone remember where exactly this field trip had been headed? No one could recall anything more than the children having been all smiles as they boarded with their luggage. All those people who had had questions or objections suddenly had them again. Everyone was discussing the strange things they had witnessed around the so-called educator and some even muttered of witchcraft or other strange things.

In the end the story was hushed up in any official channels and became just another urban legend, a story like the Pied Piper. The parents of the town took extra care about their children afterward. The school became more like a fortress. The whole town became wary of strangers and more cautious to trust anyone with their precious babies. They kept it quiet from the press as much as possible, but held a yearly memorial vigil so that none of them could ever forget. Ms. Frizzle, false teacher though she may have been, had finally taught them what fairytales already tried.

What happened to the class and their teacher is, alas, another story.

End

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't watched the show in ages (longer since I read any of the books) so had to rely on the 'net for details so please pardon my mistakes. This was a request fic- I was prompted to do "something with Magic School Bus". If she reads it I hope she likes it. This, I think, will be a onetime trip in this fandom; it was harder than I thought and I'm just glad it's done.


End file.
